CEREALS, MACARONI, AND RICE
293.—CORN MEAL MUSH
| 3½ cups boiling water | 1 cup fine corn meal |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
Add meal to boiling salted water by sifting it slowly through the fingers, while stirring rapidly with the other hand. Boil for ten minutes, and cook over hot water for two hours. Serve hot as a cereal. Or pour into one-pound baking powder boxes to cool; slice, dip in flour, and sauté in butter; or dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Serve either for breakfast, or as an accompaniment to roast pork, or, with sirup, for dessert.
294.—STEAMED HOMINY
| 4 cups boiling water | 1 cup fine hominy |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
Put salt and boiling water in top of double boiler, place in direct contact with range, sift in hominy slowly, and boil for ten minutes, stirring often; cover, and cook over hot water two hours.
295.—SCALLOPED MACARONI AND CHEESE
| 1½ cups elbow macaroni | ½ cup cheese cut fine |
| 1 onion | ¼ teaspoon mustard |
| 1 cup White Sauce (see No. 207) | 1/3 cup Buttered Crumbs (see No. 472) |
Cook macaroni and onion in boiling salted water until tender, and drain; remove onion, add cheese and mustard to sauce and mix with macaroni; turn into a greased baking dish, cover with crumbs, and bake in a moderate oven until crumbs are brown.
296.—NOODLE PASTE
| 1 egg | ¼ teaspoon salt |
| 1 tablespoon water | Bread flour |
Beat egg slightly, add water, salt, and flour enough to make a very stiff dough; knead well for three minutes, adding flour if necessary. Roll out as thin as possible; cut in fancy shapes with small vegetable cutter; or roll like a jelly roll and cut thin slices from the end. Cook in soup, or in boiling salted water. If served as a vegetable, season with butter, salt, and pepper, or serve with White Sauce (see No. 207).
297.—NOODLE BALLS (for Soup)
Roll Noodle Paste (see No. 296) very thin, fold double, and cut with small round vegetable cutter, or end of pastry tube; fry in deep fat until puffed into balls. Drain on soft paper.
298.—SCOTCH OATMEAL
| 4 cups boiling water | 1 cup oatmeal |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
Put water and salt in top of double boiler, place in direct contact with range, sift in oatmeal slowly, and boil for five minutes, stirring often; cover, and cook over hot water four hours, or cook on back of range over night.
299.—POLENTA WITH CHEESE
| 2 cups boiling water | 1 cup corn meal |
| 2 cups milk | 1 cup cheese grated, or soft cheese cut fine |
| 1 teaspoon salt |
Heat water and milk to the boiling point, add salt, and sift in corn meal very slowly. Cook over hot water two hours, or put into a fireless cooker for three hours. When cooked, add cheese, pour into a shallow pan until half an inch thick. When cold, cut into two-inch squares, dip in crumbs, then in egg, and then again in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. Or roll in flour and sauté in butter. Mustard, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, etc., may be added if desired.
300.—POLENTA WITH DATES
Prepare recipe for Polenta with Cheese (see No. 299), using in place of the cheese one and a half cups of dates, which have been washed, stoned, and cut in pieces. Serve hot as a cereal or dessert, or in any way in which mush is served. Cooked dried peaches, apricots, prunes, or figs may be substituted for dates.
301.—FRENCH FRIED POLENTA
Prepare recipe for Polenta with Cheese (see No. 299); pour into a shallow pan until two-thirds of an inch thick; cool; cut into strips about three inches long; dip first in crumbs, then in egg, and then again in crumbs; and fry in deep fat.
302.—SPANISH POLENTA
| 4 cups boiling water | 1 green pepper |
| 1 teaspoon salt | 1 cup corn meal |
| 1 onion | 1 cup cheese cut fine |
Add salt to boiling water; add onion and pepper chopped fine; sift in corn meal very slowly, stirring all the time. Cook over hot water for two hours; add cheese, and serve hot with Tomato Sauce (see No. 203).
303.—BAKED RICE AND HAM
| ½ cup rice | ½ cup cooked ham finely chopped |
| 2½ cups stock or water | 1 tablespoon onion finely chopped |
| 2 cups milk | 2 tablespoons carrot finely chopped |
Wash rice, place in greased baking dish; add liquid, ham, vegetables, and salt if necessary. Bake slowly for three hours, stirring occasionally during the first hour. Ham stock or corned beef stock may be used, and any cooked meat substituted for ham. Serve with boiled spinach or dressed lettuce.
304.—BOILED RICE
Wash one cup rice, and add slowly to two quarts of boiling salted water, allowing one tablespoon of salt; cook until tender, pour into strainer, rinse with boiling water, and put in oven or on back of range for a few minutes, until the grains separate. Very old rice is improved by soaking in cold water for an hour or two before cooking. Corned beef or ham stock may be used in place of salted water.
305.—RICE AND COCONUT LOAF
| 2 cups cooked rice | ¼ teaspoon paprika |
| 1 cup stewed and strained tomatoes | ¼ teaspoon mustard |
| 1 tablespoon grated onion | 1 can grated coconut |
| 2 teaspoons salt | 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat |
| 1 egg slightly beaten |
Mix all ingredients except the bacon fat; put into a deep greased pan, cover with bacon fat, and bake in a slow oven one hour.
306.—RISOTTO
| ½ cup rice | 1 onion chopped |
| 1 cup boiling water | 1 green pepper chopped |
| 1 teaspoon salt | ½ can tomatoes |
| 3 tablespoons bacon fat | ¼ teaspoon paprika |
Cook rice with boiling water and salt in top of double boiler twelve minutes, cook onion and pepper in bacon fat ten minutes, stirring often; add tomatoes and paprika, mix with rice, and cook forty-five minutes.
307.—STEAMED SAMP
| ½ cup samp | ¾ teaspoon salt |
| 2½ cups boiling water |
Wash samp, soak over night in cold water, and drain; put boiling water and salt in top of double boiler, and place directly on the range; add samp slowly, and boil five minutes; place over hot water and cook for four hours.
308.—CORN MEAL AND BEEF SCRAPPLE
| 3½ cups corned beef stock | 1 cup corned beef cut in small pieces |
| 1 cup corn meal |
Cook meal in stock as directed in Corn Meal Mush (see No. 293), add meat, and pour into a deep bread pan; when cold, either slice and serve cold, or dip in flour and sauté in butter, or dip in crumbs, then in egg, and then again in crumbs, and fry in deep fat. If stock is very salt, dilute with water or milk. Any kind of stock or meat may be used in place of corned beef.
309.—WHEAT AND SAUSAGE SCRAPPLE
| 3¾ cups boiling water | 1 cup Cream of Wheat |
| 1 teaspoon salt | ½ pound link sausage |
Stir wheat slowly into boiling salted water, cook five minutes, place over hot water, and cook half an hour. Cook sausages in frying pan until brown, cut into half-inch pieces, add to mush, and pour into deep pan to cool. Serve sliced cold, sautéed, or fried.
310.—BAKED SPAGHETTI AND HAM
| 2 cups cooked spaghetti | 1½ cups White Sauce (see No. 207) |
| ¾ cup cooked ham finely chopped | 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup |
| 1 hard-cooked egg chopped | ½ cup Buttered Crumbs (see No. 472) |
Put half of spaghetti into a greased baking dish; mix ham and egg, and add half of it to spaghetti; mix sauce and ketchup, and pour half of it over ham; repeat; cover with crumbs, and bake in a hot oven about fifteen minutes.
311.—CREOLE SPAGHETTI
| 2 cups spaghetti broken in 2-inch pieces | 1 cup tomatoes |
| 1 onion chopped fine | ½ teaspoon salt |
| 1 green pepper chopped fine | ½ teaspoon paprika |
| 3 tablespoons bacon fat |
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until tender, and drain; cook onion and pepper in bacon fat for ten minutes, stirring often; add tomatoes and seasonings, put in top of double boiler, add spaghetti, and cook half an hour. Macaroni may be used in place of spaghetti.
312.—ITALIAN SPAGHETTI
| 2 cups spaghetti broken in 2-inch pieces | ½ bay leaf |
| ½ onion | 1 can condensed tomato soup |
| 4 cloves | ¼ cup grated cheese |
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water with the onion, cloves, and bay leaf until tender; drain, remove onion, cloves, and bay leaf; add soup and cheese, and heat to boiling point. One-half can tomatoes seasoned, stewed until thick, and pressed through a sieve, may be used in place of soup. Macaroni may be used in place of spaghetti.
CHAPTER XV
CROQUETTES AND FRITTERS[9]
313.—TO CLARIFY FAT
Melt fat, add one pared and sliced raw potato, a pinch of soda, and a tablespoon of water; heat slowly, and cook until fat stops bubbling; strain through double cheesecloth.
314.—TO TRY OUT FAT
Cut any surplus fat into pieces, put into double boiler, cover, cook slowly until fat is extracted, and strain through double cheesecloth.
315.—CRUMBS FOR FRIED FOOD
Dry left-over bits of bread in a slow oven, put through food chopper, using finest cutter, and sift through a coarse sieve. Keep in covered jars.
316.—EGG FOR DIPPING FRIED FOOD
Break egg into a soup plate or similar shallow dish, beat enough to mix yolk and white, and add one-fourth cup of cold water or one-third cup of milk. Coat food thoroughly to prevent soaking fat.
317.—CHEESE BALLS
| 1½ cups cheese cut fine | ¼ teaspoon mustard |
| 1 tablespoon flour | ¼ teaspoon paprika |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | Whites of 2 eggs beaten stiff |
Mix in order given, shape in balls about one inch in diameter, roll in sifted crumbs, and fry in deep fat until brown. Drain on soft paper, and serve hot. Serve with the salad course or as a savory.
318.—CHEESE CROQUETTES
| 3 tablespoons shortening | ¼ teaspoon paprika |
| 1/3 cup bread flour | ¼ teaspoon mustard |
| 1 cup hot milk | Few grains cayenne |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | 1 cup cheese cut fine |
Melt shortening, add flour; add hot milk, and stir until smooth and thick; add seasonings and cheese, and pour into a shallow dish to cool. Shape into small pyramids, roll in sifted crumbs, dip in egg, and again in crumbs, and fry in deep fat until brown. Serve immediately.
319.—FISH CROQUETTES
| 2 cups cold flaked fish | Salt and cayenne |
| 1 tablespoon lemon juice | 1 cup Croquette Sauce (see No. 192) |
| Few drops onion juice |
Use remnants of baked or boiled fish, sprinkle with lemon and onion juice, dust lightly with salt and cayenne, and mix with sauce. When cold, shape into small croquettes or cutlets, dip in crumbs, egg, and again in crumbs, and fry in hot deep fat one minute.
320.—MEAT CROQUETTES
To two cups of cooked meat cut in small pieces add one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and a few drops of onion juice; mix with one cup of Croquette Sauce (see No. 192) and put on ice until cold. Shape into small croquettes or cutlets, roll in crumbs, dip in egg, and again in crumbs, and fry in hot deep fat. Any left-over meat may be used.
321.—POTATO AND BEAN CROQUETTES
| 2 cups cold baked beans | 1 tablespoon Worcestershire or Brand's A 1 sauce |
| 1 cup mashed potato | Salt if needed |
| ¼ teaspoon paprika |
Press beans through a sieve, add potato and seasonings, mix well, and shape into small pyramids. Roll in crumbs, dip in egg, roll in crumbs again, and fry in hot deep fat. Drain on soft paper, and serve with Tomato Sauce (see No. 203).
322.—RICE CROQUETTES
| 1 egg slightly beaten | 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | 2 tablespoons cold water |
| ¼ teaspoon onion juice | 2 cups cooked rice |
| 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup |
Mix in order given; shape into small pyramids, dip in crumbs, egg, and again in crumbs, and fry in hot deep fat.
323.—RICE AND RAISIN CROQUETTES
| ½ cup rice | 1 cup hot milk |
| 1 cup boiling water | 1 tablespoon butter |
| 1 teaspoon salt | 2 tablespoons sultana raisins |
Wash rice, stir into boiling salted water, and boil five minutes, add milk, butter, and raisins, and cook over hot water about twenty-five minutes, or until rice is tender. Shape into small pyramids, dip in egg and crumbs, and fry in hot deep fat. Serve with Currant Jelly Sauce (see No. 608) or Lemon Sauce (see No. 613).
324.—SALMON AND POTATO CROQUETTES
Rinse a can of salmon with boiling water, and separate into flakes; mix with two cups of hot, well-seasoned mashed potatoes, and a tablespoon of finely chopped mixed pickles. Shape into small croquettes, dip in crumbs, egg, and then in crumbs again, and fry in hot deep fat one minute.
325.—SLICED APPLE FRITTERS
| 1 cup flour | 1 egg well beaten |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | ½ cup cold water |
| 1 tablespoon sugar | 3 tart apples |
Mix and sift flour, salt, and sugar; add egg and water, and beat well; pare, core, and cut apples into half-inch slices; dip in batter until well coated, and fry in hot deep fat; drain on soft paper, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve with roast pork or sausage, or serve with a liquid sauce as an entrée or a dessert.
326.—BANANA FRITTERS
| 1 cup flour | 1 egg well beaten |
| 1½ teaspoons baking powder | ¼ cup cold water |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | 2 bananas |
| 1 tablespoon powdered sugar |
Mix and sift dry ingredients, add egg and water, and beat well; press bananas through a sieve, add to batter, and drop from a tablespoon into hot deep fat; drain on soft paper, dust with powdered sugar, and serve with Currant Jelly Sauce (see No. 608), or Lemon Sauce (see No. 613), either as an entrée or as a dessert.
327.—CORN FRITTERS
| 1 can corn | 1 teaspoon salt |
| ½ cup dried and sifted crumbs | 1 teaspoon baking powder |
| 1 egg well beaten | 1 tablespoon flour |
| ½ cup milk |
Chop the corn, and add other ingredients in order given. Drop from a tablespoon into hot deep fat and fry until brown. Or sauté in a hot greased frying pan.
328.—CRANBERRY FRITTERS
| 1 egg well beaten | 1 cup flour |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | 1½ teaspoons baking powder |
| 2 tablespoons sugar | ½ cup chopped cranberries |
| ¼ cup water |
Mix in order given; drop from a tablespoon into hot deep fat, cook about three minutes, drain on soft paper, and dredge with powdered sugar.
329.—RICE AND CURRANT FRITTERS
| 1 cup flour | 1 egg well beaten |
| 1½ teaspoons baking powder | 1/3 cup cold water |
| 1/3 teaspoon salt | 1 cup cooked rice |
| 2 tablespoons sugar | 2 tablespoons washed currants |
| ¼ teaspoon nutmeg |
Mix and sift dry ingredients; add egg and water, and beat well; add rice and currants, and drop from a tablespoon into hot deep fat; drain on soft paper, and serve with Currant Jelly Sauce (see No. 608), Orange Marmalade Sauce (see No. 616), or Lemon Sauce (see No. 613).
330.—SALMON FRITTERS
| 1-1/3 cups flour | 2/3 cup water |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | ¼ teaspoon paprika |
| 2 teaspoons baking powder | ¼ teaspoon onion juice |
| 1 egg well beaten | ½ can salmon chopped fine |
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder; add egg, water, and seasonings, and beat well; add salmon, and drop from a tablespoon into hot deep fat; cook until brown, drain on soft paper, and serve with Sauce Tartare (see No. 202) or Tomato Sauce (see No. 203).
331.—DOUGHNUTS
| 2 cups flour | ½ cup sugar |
| 2½ teaspoons baking powder | 1 egg well beaten |
| ¾ teaspoon salt | ½ cup milk |
| ½ teaspoon nutmeg | 1 tablespoon melted shortening |
Mix and sift dry ingredients; add egg, milk, and shortening, and mix well; chill, and roll out on a floured board until half an inch thick; cut, and fry in hot deep fat. A little more flour may be necessary, but the dough should be as soft as can be handled easily.
332.—SMALL TEA DOUGHNUTS
Follow recipe for Doughnuts (see No. 331), roll mixture very thin, cut with a two-inch doughnut cutter, fry, and dust with powdered sugar. Or fry the cut-out centers of large doughnuts, and roll in powdered sugar.
333.—FRIED JAM CAKES
Roll doughnut mixture very thin, and cut with a three-inch cookie cutter; put a teaspoon of jam on one half, moisten the edges with water, fold double, press edges firmly together, and fry in hot deep fat. Dust with powdered sugar.